Display of related objects in compartmentalized virtual display units

ABSTRACT

A unified platform obtains, stores, and shares search results based on user profiles or groups with a common interest. User profiles or group profiles may be used to identify categories containing objects related to a common interest, and the objects may be selected for placement in a graphical user interface from which they may be purchased by or for the user. The objects may preferably be virtual objects stored in a virtual locker or other virtual display unit. Users are able to conduct web-based searches for products or services from different websites and store dimensional representations of virtual products or services in a unified platform.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/130,305, filed Dec. 22, 2020, entitled “Display of Related Objects inCompartmentalized Virtual Display Units”, which claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/953,723, filed Dec. 26, 2019by William Geivett and entitled “Method Of Establishing And Servicing APersonal Sales Portal”, the entire disclosure in which is incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

This disclosure is directed to arrangement and display of relatedvirtual objects within a plurality of compartments in a graphical userinterface (GUI) such as a virtual container visually configured forrelevance to the object, wherein the objects are selected based on atheme or user profile. For purposes of this disclosure, objects areiconic or virtual representations of articles of commerce.

Background

Search engines may filter through a seemingly infinite number ofproducts to return results ranked by best match criteria. Such searchesare generally conducted in an ad hoc manner, relying upon popularity orother factors not related to a particular user to rank results. Contentis often limited to products from specific websites with different webURLs for different websites.

Management of search results from different websites typically involvescreating an account for each website to manage search results. Formultiple websites, this process may be time-consuming and onerous.Retrieving search results involves storing these results separatelyusing the application or platform associated with each website.

These approaches have limitations, including returning limited or biasedsearch results, not results customized to a specific user, and/or beingdifficult to store and share.

Terminology

As used herein, the following terms have these meanings:

“Display unit” means an object container for receiving objects such asproducts or other goods for storage and display. Examples, withoutlimitation, include, lockers, cabinets, point of sale display racks,shelving units, vanities, closets, retail shop tables and shelves, etc.

“Virtual” means a digitally created representation or version of a realitem or device that has sufficient visual similarity to the item ordevice to be recognized as such item or device when visually displayedon a screen or the like.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended asan aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

An arrangement is disclosed wherein a unified platform is provided toobtain, store, and share search results based on user profiles or groupswith a common interest. User or group profiles may be used to identifycategories of objects related to a common interest, and the objects maybe presented to a user and selected for placement as virtual objects ina graphical user interface (GUI) simulating a virtual locker, in aparticular embodiment, or other virtual display unit in general. In theparticular embodiment, the virtual objects (e.g., in the form of iconssimulating those objects) may be stored in a compartmentalized virtuallocker with differently depicted and shaped compartments appropriate tothe size and shape of the stored objects. Based on this approach, usersare able to conduct web-based searches for products or services fromdifferent websites, and store dimensional representations of theproducts or services, generally referred to herein as objects, in aunified platform. The objects may later be purchased by or for the userby clicking on links to retailers, or the like, associated with thestored virtual objects.

Methods, systems and computer readable media are disclosed forgenerating one or more virtual lockers, each being associated with auser profile and comprising a plurality of compartments for storing oneor more objects. A list of profile-filtered objects is obtained and,based on input from the user, an object to be stored in the virtuallocker is selected and stored in a selected locker compartment.

A method and system are disclosed herein comprising: establishing forselective display at each of multiple client systems a respectivegraphical compartmentalized virtual display unit; at each virtualdisplay unit establishing a respective theme reflecting an interest ofthe user of the client system at which that virtual display unit isestablished; and selectively obtaining, and displaying in compartmentsof each virtual display unit, virtual objects within the scope of theinterest of the user of the client system at which virtual display unitis established.

Also disclosed are a method and system comprising: establishing forselective display at each of plural client systems a compartmentalizedvirtual locker having plural compartments; associating a profile of theuser of each client system with the virtual locker of that clientsystem; establishing themes for the virtual lockers, the themesreflecting interests of the users of respective client systems; storingat a system database the themes and profiles of the users; for eachclient system, obtaining a list of objects that are filtered based onthe profile of the user of that client system and the theme of thevirtual locker at that client system; and enabling the user of eachclient system to select one or more objects from the list that are ofinterest to that user, and populating the compartments of the virtuallocker with virtual representations of the user-selected objects. One ormore iconic images may be holograms or other images that are visuallyrecognizable as a product or other service or item. In some embodimentsthird party marketers are enabled to transmit, to a client system'svirtual locker, promotional material pertaining to the selected objectsin that virtual locker. In some embodiments, if it is determined that animage of a virtual object does not fit within a selected lockercompartment, the shape and/or size of the virtual object image may betransformed to fit.

Also disclosed is a functionality for sellers, merchants and retailersto create virtual storefronts using the virtual display concept. Theseusers are able to generate their own virtual storefront, which may belocated in a user's virtual mall, to promote products for purchase byothers by adding them as virtual objects to their lockers.

Advantages of approaches described herein include but are not limited toallowing ease of identifying and storing objects returned from a searchin a unified platform. Disclosed techniques may generate, transform,scale or warp objects, and arrange related objects (e.g., products,activities, interests, areas of service, etc.) obtained from a varietyof websites into specific compartments of a virtual display unit.Accordingly, descriptions are not to be construed as limited to thecontent of a given website but may span multiple websites. The virtualdisplay unit provides efficiency in identification, selection, storage,and sharing of objects and may interface with other platforms forsharing, selling and/or distributing objects. Accordingly, objects maybe stored in a virtual display unit to provide a single point of accessto the stored objects.

In some aspects of this disclosure a virtual compartmentalized locker orother display unit may comprise a plurality of virtual lockers ordisplay units; that is, a user may have multiple lockers, each having adifferent theme or combination of themes. In other aspects, the user mayselect a general theme to include objects spanning or encompassingdifferent areas of interest. These generic compartmentalized virtualdisplay units allow users to search different categories and to storedifferent related or unrelated objects in a central location.

As noted above, the compartmentalized virtual locker allows users tostore a plurality of related objects associated by a theme (e.g.,category, genre, etc.). The theme of the locker, in combination with theuser's profile, may automatically determine specific objects that areuploaded into the user's graphical display region (e.g., as a list) forreview and selection. Once objects are uploaded into the graphicaldisplay region, the user may select one or more objects to store in thelocker as virtual objects. In some cases, the user may select aplaceholder for an object when a specific object has not yet beenselected.

In order to store a virtual object in a dimensionalized compartment of avirtual display unit, the virtual object may be transformed (e.g.,reconfigured by warping, scaling, or rotating) in order to fit withinthe dimensions of the compartment. Multiple virtual objects may beplaced within a single compartment, and the system may arrange theobjects by size. For example, the sizes of the virtual objects within acompartment may be compared and placed in order of decreasing size so asto allow at least a portion of each virtual object in the compartment tobe visible in that compartment of the user's display unit.

The system may be integrated with social media networks. For example, asocial media account for a user may include or link to a virtual lockerroom containing a plurality of compartmentalized virtual lockers or to asingle such locker. By integrating with social media applications,virtual lockers and virtual locker rooms may be shared with other socialmedia users. For example, users can publicly share lockers of selectedobjects with their social media connections. In other aspects, lockersmay be shared as a “closed group” on the social media platform. Bothapproaches allow users to share objects obtained from a variety of otherwebsites in an efficient manner.

Disclosed embodiments may generate a themed compartmentalized virtuallocker or other display unit for a user and may present to a userobjects associated with a specific theme, wherein objects may includeholograms or other dimensional representations of an object fordemonstrating properties of the virtual object to a user. The objectsmay be stored for later retrieval, and users may share their virtuallockers within social media or other network groups.

Techniques and embodiments disclosed herein provide methods, systems,and computer readable media for generating, obtaining, and/or arrangingobjects, corresponding to products, services or other items from aplurality of websites, in a virtual locker. The virtual locker may beshared among members of a social media group or the public to facilitatedistribution and/or sales of the corresponding products, services orother items.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

By way of example, specific embodiments of the disclosed system andmethod are described below with reference to the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a computing environment for a graphical compartmentalizedvirtual locker room and virtual locker, according to an embodiment ofthe techniques disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a high-level flow diagram of operations associated withgenerating a graphical compartmentalized virtual locker room/virtuallocker according to an embodiment of the techniques disclosed herein.

FIG. 3 is a detailed flow diagram of operations for generating agraphical compartmentalized virtual locker room/virtual locker accordingto an embodiment of the techniques disclosed herein

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of operations for customizing the graphicalcompartmentalized virtual locker according to an embodiment of thetechniques disclosed herein.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of operations for populating objects accordingto an embodiment of the techniques disclosed herein.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of operations showing sharing of a graphicalcompartmentalized virtual locker according to an embodiment of thetechniques disclosed herein.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing of operations showing assigning orsyndicating a graphical compartmentalized virtual locker to other usersaccording to an embodiment of the techniques disclosed herein.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of operations showing creating a fullycustomized graphical compartmentalized virtual locker according to anembodiment of the techniques disclosed herein.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of operations showing integration ofadvertisements into the graphical compartmentalized virtual lockeraccording to an embodiment of the techniques disclosed herein.

FIG. 10 is an example screen shot showing the graphicalcompartmentalized virtual locker settings page, with a portion of anempty graphical compartmentalized virtual locker shown in thebackground, lower right.

FIG. 11 is a screen shot of a baseball-themed graphicalcompartmentalized virtual locker stocked with objects (e.g., products)wherein images or holograms of objects have been generated and placedinto different sized compartments.

FIG. 12 is a screen shot of a customized graphical compartmentalizedvirtual locker showing placeholders

FIG. 13 is a screen shot demonstrating aspects of populating aplaceholder item with desired products.

FIG. 14 is a screen shot showing a public view of a graphicalcompartmentalized virtual locker that has been shared with other users.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of operations showing how a team coach maycreate a virtual locker with stored virtual objects viewable andaccessible by team members.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of operations showing how a business maycreate a virtual locker by customizing lockers for differentcombinations of demographic information.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram of operations showing how influencers,companies, and merchants may create their own types of visuallypresented display units instead of lockers.

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram of operations showing how a virtual mall maybe created and operated with multiple virtual display units of different“mall tenant” businesses.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments are described more fully below with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which several exemplary embodiments are shown.It will be readily understood that components of the embodiments asgenerally described and illustrated could be arranged and designed in avariety of different configurations. Thus, the following detaileddescription of various embodiments, as represented in the figures, isnot intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure but is merelyrepresentative of various embodiments. While various aspects of theembodiments are presented in the drawings, the drawings are notnecessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated.

The present systems and methods may be embodied in other specific formswithout departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Thedescribed embodiments are to be considered in all respects only asillustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the inventions disclosedherein is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than bythis detailed description. All changes which come within the meaning andrange of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within theirscope.

Reference in this specification to features, advantages, or similarlanguage does not imply that all of the features and advantages that maybe realized from this disclosure should be or are in any singleembodiment of the claimed inventions. Rather, language referring to thefeatures and advantages is means that a specific feature, advantage, orcharacteristic described in connection with an embodiment may beincluded in at least one embodiment of the claimed inventions. Thus,discussions of the features and advantages, and similar language,throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to thesame embodiment.

Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics maybe combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Oneskilled in the relevant art will recognize, in light of the descriptionherein, that the claimed inventions can be practiced without one or moreof the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. Inother instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized incertain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments.

An online system is provided comprising one or more graphicalcompartmentalized virtual lockers (or other virtual display units)containing a plurality of virtual objects. The user designates a themefor the virtual locker, and the system automatically populates thevirtual locker with the objects (e.g., images of products, services,and/or other information pertaining to that theme). Users may have morethan one themed virtual locker or can select multiple themes to allowobjects not associated with the primary theme to be added to the virtuallocker. In other aspects, the user may populate the virtual locker withobjects/information independently without relying on the system and mayauthorize other users of the group to do the same.

Objects are filtered and ranked for display to the user. For example,objects may be filtered based on the theme of the virtual locker. Thefiltered list may be ordered or ranked based on objects downloaded intovirtual lockers by other users having the same theme. The filtered listmay be ordered based on a profile or demographic information of theuser.

Users may add virtual objects to their lockers using hologram selectionprocesses that may involve generating and transforming images. When theobject is a product, the hologram represents a three-dimensional imageof the product, and that virtual object is placed in a compartmentaccording to its dimensions. In cases in which a virtual object does notfit within a compartment of the virtual locker, the object may betransformed (e.g., resized, rotated, warped, etc.) in order to fit. Ifmultiple objects are placed within the same compartment, the system mayarrange the objects within the compartment so that at least a portion ofeach object can be visualized by a user. When the user clicks or hoversover the object with a cursor, a list of related items appears, allowingthe user to select additional objects. For example, each object may havea plurality of associated characteristics, including an overall productuser rating, product reviews, number of other users that have selectedthe object for download into their lockers, etc.

Users may grant access to their social media connections to viewrespective virtual lockers. Additionally, users may forward selectedlocker contents to their connections from the social media site. Objectsmay be purchased by the user, or for the user by the user's connections.When a product/object is selected for purchase, the user's email and/orphysical address may be automatically uploaded for product delivery viaemail or to a postal address, as appropriate.

Unlike prior systems, the present system can automatically populatecompartmentalized virtual lockers or other display units with objectsand other information related to a user's designated theme, andinterface with a user's social media platform via portals for access tothe objects. The present system allows for the collection of productsstored in a dedicated area on the user's social media account or linkedto the user's social media account. The social media platform allows forusers to receive information from a newsfeed of third parties and to addobjects directly to the virtual locker, to view them as virtual objectsin virtual lockers of other users, and to add virtual objects to theirvirtual lockers.

FIG. 1 depicts a computing environment 10 for an app embodiment thatgenerates virtual lockers and virtual locker rooms, according to aspectsof the present disclosure. The environment may include one or moreserver systems 5, one or more client or end-user systems 15, one or more3^(rd) party platforms 25, and one or more social media platforms 30.Server systems 5, client systems 15, 3^(rd) party platform 25, andsocial media platforms 30 may be remote from each other and communicatevia network 20 which may be implemented by any suitable communicationsmedium, such as wide area network (WAN), local area network (LAN),Internet, Intranet, etc. Alternatively, server systems 5, client systems15, 3^(rd) party platform 25, and social media platform 30 may be localto each other, and may communicate via an appropriate localcommunication medium, such as local area network (LAN), hardwire,wireless link, Intranet, etc.

Client systems 15 include processors that enable users to access and setup virtual locker rooms and virtual lockers for local graphical display.Server systems 5 comprise a virtual locker room application module toset up virtual lockers. A database system 6 may store variousinformation including user profiles, objects, themes, customizations,etc.

FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram 100 for generating a graphicalcompartmentalized virtual locker. At operation 101 a user registers withthe system by providing identifying information (e.g., email address andpassword), and at 102 the user creates a profile by entering requestedinformation, e.g., by means of a form having data entry fields. Atoperation 103 a virtual locker room and virtual lockers are generatedand populated (see also FIG. 3 ). For example, the virtual locker ispopulated with objects from a plurality of 3^(rd) party websites (orobjects are generated from an image if needed). At operation 104 thevirtual locker is customized, and at 105 the virtual locker mayoptionally be shared with a social media network. At operation 106, theuser exits the program.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram 200 showing operations for generating virtuallockers and storing objects that may be accessed at a later point intime. At operation 201, a virtual locker room is generated to containeach virtual locker generated by a user. The virtual locker room allowsnavigation between its virtual lockers, e.g., on a network-connecteddevice. At operation 202, virtual locker generation is initiated by auser.

At operation 206 placeholder items, which fit into compartments of thevirtual locker, automatically populate the compartments. Theseplaceholders are associated with predetermined objects and are selectedat least in part by a user's profile. For example, a placeholder mayidentify a category of items that may be stored in a user's virtuallocker and represents a category of product the user may want to storebut does not identify a specific object. Once an object is selected, theplaceholder may be replaced by the selected object.

At operation 221 a user interacts with the virtual locker (see FIG. 4 )and, based on the selected theme, predefined objects associated withplaceholders are displayed to the user. Predefined objects, when tappedor clicked, offer a ranked selection of specific objects (e.g.,products). If an object of interest isn't shown, the user may employ acustom search to find a specific product at 233. Alternatively, atoperation 222, a user may select a specific object, e.g., from a culledlist, to add to the virtual locker. At operation 230 a predefined itemor a custom item is added to a compartment of the virtual locker. Oncethe desired objects have been identified through ranking or customsearch, the user can select the identified product/object and save theobject to a virtual locker as a selected product.

Each placeholder may be associated with a list of objects based on oneor more of manual entry, artificial intelligence, machine learning,and/or other techniques to generate a group of objects corresponding tothe placeholder and determined to be pertinent and relevant to the userbased on the user's profile.

Selected objects stored in a virtual locker may be archived or deleted.Archiving the object renders it no longer visible to other usersvisiting the public view of the virtual locker but maintains visibilityof the object to the virtual locker's owner allowing the owner tounarchive the object to restore it as a selected object. In someaspects, a deleted object may remain in the system's database(soft-delete) for reporting and/or other purposes, and in other aspects,deleting an object may be irreversible.

A selected object may be moved out of a virtual locker (FIG. 9 ) by theuser upon purchase or by an automated function triggered by another userpurchasing the product for the user (see, External User view 540 in FIG.6 ). More particularly, when a product is purchased, the user may movethe item to a separate compartment in the virtual locker reserved forpurchased objects/products, or to a separate virtual locker of the userreserved for display of purchased objects. The user may thereafterreadily determine which objects have been purchased if the user wants toadd another of that product/object to his/her locker or share theproduct/object with a contact. The user may also add a note or otherindication identifying who purchased the object.

In some cases, where a user has multiple interests in differentcategories, a user can create as many virtual lockers as needed. Atoperation 235, if a user creates an additional virtual locker, thesystem returns to operation 203 to provide default template options tothe user. The user may generate a virtual locker for each category,selecting a default template or theme, or may generate an empty virtuallocker and customize it based on user interests. Once all desiredvirtual lockers have been established, the process returns to operation104.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of customization of a virtuallocker; i.e., this process allows the user to customize the features ofa virtual locker. The scope of customization is not intended to belimited to the options listed herein. At operation 301, defaultplaceholders populate the virtual locker upon theme selection, theplaceholders representing generic objects to be stored in the virtuallocker.

At operation 302 the virtual locker is customized by one or more of:adding a name to label the virtual locker; adding a name to an object inthe virtual locker; and/or adding custom colors to the background of thevirtual locker or for different compartments of the virtual locker. Atoperation 303 media (e.g., images, GIFS, videos, etc.), patterns, anddesigns, may be added to the walls or other components of the virtuallocker. Such media, patterns, and designs may be chosen from a libraryof options provided by the system, created by the user, or obtained fromanother user, and stored in database 312. Customizations to a locker donot change the contents of the locker or its functionality, and areintended to make the locker personalized to the user.

In some cases, another user on the system can view a connected user'svirtual locker and update the connected user's virtual locker. Forexample, the other user may leave a personal message or may select adesign update based on templates, patterns, media and objects stored indatabase 6 (FIG. 1 ). At operation 304 custom placeholders may be addedto the virtual locker. For example, a user may add a placeholder that isnot included in a default template for a theme. In this case the systemmay generate a placeholder based on input from a user, or theplaceholder may be downloaded. Customized objects can be addedcorresponding to the customized placeholder, allowing a user to save acustomized object to the virtual locker. In other aspects, a user maysave a customized object to the virtual locker without generating orobtaining a corresponding placeholder. Using tools such as systematicanalytics with machine learning, artificial intelligence, and manualannotation, custom placeholders may be predefined.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram 400 showing population of a virtual locker witha placeholder. Based on the selected theme at operation 204 (FIG. 3 ),placeholders (e.g., predefined or customized) can be added to a virtuallocker. The virtual locker displays the placeholder or a correspondingobject is selected. Regardless of whether a placeholder contains a listof selectable objects, the user may add objects to the placeholder.Placeholders store multiple objects that are in the same category; forexample, a user may add multiple objects to a corresponding placeholder.

At operation 401 a virtual locker is populated with placeholders. Atoperation 402, the system determines whether a placeholder categorycorresponding to an object exists. If the placeholder category exists,the user selects the placeholder category corresponding to therepresentative object to be added. This process may be repeated to addadditional objects.

At operation 403, the system returns a pre-defined, filtered subset ofobjects based on the user's profile. For example, a profile may utilizedemographic information including a subset of objects (e.g., products)for the user's age/experience and suitable in terms of size for theuser. The subset of objects may be predefined by the system by manualselection, by advertiser/partner-driven preferential object placement,and/or based on search results for a predetermined search phrase or anyother suitable manner. A list of objects is returned based on the searchat operation 405. Objects of interest from the search results may beselected at operation 406 and added to the respective category atoperation 407.

If the placeholder does not exist as a predefined category, the user maycreate a custom placeholder for the object at operation 421. In sometheme designs, blank spaces may be provided to allow a user to add acustom placeholder; for example, if the object category is one for whicha placeholder drawing exists (see FIG. 8 ). Still referring to FIG. 5 ,let us assume that an object either does not have a placeholder image,or there is limited space in the virtual locker to visually display theplaceholder. At operation 421, the user inputs the name of the customobject category (e.g., “wristbands”) and the placeholder is displayed inthe virtual locker, for example, in the form of an empty box, list item,or other equivalent. At operation 422, the corresponding category name(i.e., “wristbands”) is selected as the initial search phrase, forexample, at the time of creating the custom placeholder or by selectingthe custom placeholder, to search for and display objects to the user(e.g., products, services, etc.). At operation 423, the search resultsmay be reviewed, and an object selected by the user, and the selectedobject is added as a virtual object to the corresponding locker.Alternatively, the user may edit the search phrase until suitableresults are found. Once the desired object has been selected, atoperation 407 the object may be saved to more than one themed virtuallocker. The user may optionally choose to add the object to multiplevirtual lockers at the same time.

As an example, if a user has a virtual locker for two different sports,baseball and golf, for example, and wants to add a pair of sunglasses toboth virtual lockers, he/she may add a placeholder to the first virtuallocker for sunglasses and then may add the specific object to theplaceholder while editing the first virtual locker. At the time ofadding the object to the first virtual locker, the option to save theobject in other virtual lockers may also be offered. This allows theuser to easily and efficiently duplicate objects across multiple virtuallockers, as appropriate.

The system may use the results of the process shown at 420 to improvecustom object category search results for future users, to suggestpredefined categorical placeholders (e.g., if 35% of baseball-themedvirtual lockers use custom-add “wristbands”, there should be apredefined category placeholder for wristbands for all baseball-themedlockers), and to systematically display cross-promotional objects.Search terms or phrases to identify the objects may be stored by thesystem in a database, other disk storage, or other non-transient media.In some aspects, through manual means, machine learning, or artificialintelligence, the search terms or phrases may be used for future objectsearches and suggestions by the system and distributed over a network toother user devices.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram 500 for sharing a virtual locker. To share avirtual locker the user disseminates the virtual locker on a publicforum (e.g., social media, blogs, personal website, or otherwise) tofriends and/or the general public, providing his/her customizations andobjects/products to the shared group.

At operation 501, the user selects the virtual locker for sharing. Atoperation 502 an image thumbnail of the virtual locker is generated,depicting the placeholders (custom and pre-defined) as well as anycustomizations (e.g., name, title, team, colors, media, etc.) created bythe user. At operation 503 the image is referenced by metatags, and at504 a system-generated public URL is associated with the virtual locker.For example, when the virtual locker is copied and pasted, embedded, orotherwise referenced, the URL displays the image of the customizedlocker, and the user may paste the public URL into a social mediaplatform as part of a comment or post; the platform may automaticallyretrieve and display the image per Open Graph sharing protocols. Atoperation 505 the virtual locker URL is shared.

At operation 506 the user posts or shares his/her virtual locker on apublic forum by posting a URL. The platform may reference the metatags,which provides the created image via the data store 511 on theapplication via network 512, thereby creating a rich media post on thesocial media (or other) platform. At operation 507 an unrelated user,referred to as an “external user”, may visit the virtual locker linkfrom operation 506.

At operation 508 it is determined (e.g., using cookies or other trackinginformation) whether or not an external user is logged into the system.If the external user is not logged in, at operation 521 a less-detailedpublic view of the virtual locker is provided to the external user, withadditional details reserved for viewers who are logged in. Placeholdersand virtual locker previews are visible to a user who is not logged inor an external user, and at operations 531 and 532 the external user isprompted to login or sign up. Upon logging in the external user becomesa known user and is able to access the full view.

When an external user visits the public virtual locker URL and is aknown user (as determined by cookies, etc.), the external user views theknown external user view. The known external user is prompted with anotification stating, e.g., “You are following [the user name]'s profilenow”. The known external user is provided with the option ofun-following the locker's owner. The view may display the virtual lockerwith all placeholders (pre-defined and custom) and a detailed productlist allowing that known external user to visualize an overview of allproducts in the respective virtual locker. At operation 544 aplaceholder product is selected; or based on the object list, the knownexternal user accesses a third party retailer via an affiliate link. Atoperation 545 the user views and/or potentially purchases one or moreobjects in the virtual locker. At operation 546, when a known externaluser navigates away from the application to an outside retailer, theexternal user is asked upon returning to the application whether or notthe product was purchased. Responses are stored in the database at 547,referenced to the user's virtual locker, and may be used for datacollection purposes by the system.

If the retailer allows the checkout process to be embedded within theapplication via APIs, SDKs or otherwise, or through networked callbacks,the system may not determine whether or not the known external userpurchased the item. In this case the data is stored automatically at 548and does not need to be prompted at 547 by the known external user.

FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart in which a user creates and assigns a virtuallocker to another user within the system. By way of example, thisfunctionality is provided in two forms: (1) with team organizationswhereby an administrator of an organization creates a virtual locker foreach of the teams in the organizational structure; and/or (2) withsocial media “influencers” that create virtual lockers that fans maydownload. Influencers and team organizers are referred to in thisfunction as users.

For a team organization, the administrator may invite each team memberto create an account with the system and then create the team lockerautomatically. Alternatively, the team locker may be createdautomatically if the team members already have an account with thesystem. Social media influencers may save their favorite items to avirtual locker and then share their virtual object list with their fansvia social media or other avenues. Another user can duplicate aninfluencer's virtual locker and automatically add those items to thatuser's own virtual locker.

At operation 601 a user populates a virtual locker with items accordingto the functions described and illustrated in reference to FIG. 4 . At602 a tracking code within the system, corresponding to a product URL,is added to a table in the system's database 603 and used to track dataassociated with virtual lockers and to track other users. Through thesystem's internal network 604 and/or other networks (e.g., social media,blogs, etc.), at operation 605 the user shares the virtual locker withother users 614.

In some cases, an organization or team may first need to be created. Atoperation 611 an organization is created based on basic information(e.g., name, location, website, email contact info, etc.). At 612 teamsare generated, and at operation 613 team members are added.

Teams may have different gear requirements and separate virtual lockersmay be generated for each team. The user shares the virtual locker witha team at operation 614, for example, by email or other suitableequivalent. Optionally, different gear requirements for differentpositions or characteristics of players on the team may be established,and at operation 615 gear-relevant objects/products are automaticallypositioned, thereby providing each type of user with automaticallycustomized locker objects. At 607 a link may be provided (e.g., viaemail) allowing other team members to view the virtual locker. Atoperation 608 the system prompts the team member to sign up or log in(see FIG. 5 ). Once signed in to the system the user may accept thevirtual locker which is added to the user's virtual locker room atoperation 609.

An influencer may share the virtual locker as a public link that isbroadcast on social media or in a blog, etc. that allows another user toclick the link and follow the same process of viewing the locker,logging in or signing up, and adding the locker to his/her virtuallocker room. Additionally, a coach may also choose to share a virtuallocker publicly instead of by email.

Virtual lockers with no theme and with fully customizable content may becreated by generating a blank locker and adding objects from any genreto the virtual locker. A virtual locker created in the themed fashionmay be applied in a scenario in which, for example, a sports season isabout to start and new gear is required for the player.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing customization of virtual lockerplaceholders. The placeholders may link to a wide variety of items frommultiple genres. To create an un-themed, fully customized virtuallocker, a user may create an “empty” virtual locker at operation 701. Anempty virtual locker does not contain pre-selected placeholders; rather,it contains zones or compartments to act as receptacles for aplaceholder. The zones, which have pre-defined shapes and aspect ratiosexisting within areas of the virtual locker, represent areas whereplaceholders can be placed. For example, square (1:1 aspect) zonesaccept placeholder images that are roughly square or otherwiseconveniently fit in the zone.

After generating the empty virtual locker, the user is provided with auser interface that allows selection of placeholders from any genre(e.g., sport, theme, or otherwise). The user selects placeholders atoperation 702, and the locker automatically arranges placeholders in thebackground at 703 by prioritizing placeholders into preferred shapes inthe locker. Preferably, the objects are configured so that portions ofall objects are visible to the user. If objects do not fit within acompartment their configurations may be transformed. If all acceptableshapes for a placeholder are taken, the placeholder occupies a custombox within the locker (see FIG. 12 ).

At operation 704, after the user selects the desired placeholders, theuser may manually customize them, e.g., by rearranging the placeholders.This may be accomplished by drag/drop or other suitable techniquewhereby a user positions the placeholder in a zone.

FIG. 9 shows operations 800 of the virtual locker receivingadvertisements and selling objects. More particularly, virtual lockersallow retailers to advertise their products and build brand loyalty. Atoperation 811 an external advertisement (e.g., an advertisementpublished on an external platform) is received. At operation 812 theadvertisement is associated with a link to navigate the user to anotherpage accessible by the system. which page may track metrics associatedwith the advertisement using cloud-based technologies over a network803, based on the parameters of the link corresponding to the productadvertisement. Similarly, at operation 801 internal advertisements maybe received. At 802 the user selects the advertisement. Advertisersrunning advertisements directly on the system's website, or on anotherplatform, create advertisements with a clickable action item to “Additem to your locker”.

Regardless of the source of the advertisement (internal or external),the system prompts the user to log in or sign up at operation 804, andthe data is stored in database 805. At operation 806 users may addobjects/products to any of their virtual lockers, with the option tocreate a new virtual locker. At operation 807 the user determineswhether to purchase the product at that time or later. The item may besaved in the system's database and the user's virtual locker may beupdated by selecting the item as a replacement for the placeholder. Ifthe product is purchased immediately, at operation 808 the systemprogresses through sales transactions. If the product/object ispurchased later, at operation 821 the product is saved at a locationreserved for purchased products, either in a locker compartment reservedfor purchased objects or a separate virtual locker of the user reservedfor purchased objects. At operation 822 the stored product is sharedwith the user's corresponding social media network, providing additionaladvertising at operation 830. At operation 823 the virtual locker isprovided to another user to view the product. The other user maypurchase the product for the user at operation 808.

FIG. 10 is a screenshot showing virtual locker settings for a virtuallocker that is automatically provided to the user. The user may enter atitle for the virtual locker, a nameplate text, as well as a team name.The user may also choose a color scheme for the locker. If the userselects a sports theme for the locker, placeholder items automaticallypopulate the locker with predetermined products related to that sportstheme, and the locker stores objects as they are added. Upon purchase ofthe corresponding product/service, the object is associated (eithermanually or automatically by the system) with a tag or label indicatingthat the product has been purchased when an external user marks an itemas purchased for the user. The virtual locker may have multipleplaceholders with each placeholder associated with a plurality ofobjects. As noted above, in addition, or alternatively, the purchasedobject may be moved to a compartment of the virtual locker reserved forpurchased objects or to a separate virtual locker of the user that isreserved for purchased objects. The stored purchased objects may haveadditional data related to the object associated therewith, includingbut not limited to, details regarding product purchase, userinformation, time of purchase, and other details about the transaction.This data may be provided to the user to identify others who havepurchased the object.

Additionally, a user may add an item to a virtual locker for re-purchaseand may add such items to other selected virtual lockers. In othercases, another user may ask for a product recommendation, and the usermay share the object corresponding to the purchased product. The otheruser may accept the recommendation and add the item to one or morevirtual lockers.

The screenshot in FIG. 10 also shows in the background a graphicalcompartmentalized virtual locker settings page, with an empty graphicalcompartmentalized virtual locker shown at the lower right. The user maycustomize the locker according to any desired criteria, including butnot limited to, customizing a locker title, a nameplate text, and/or ateam name. The user may also select a color scheme for the virtuallocker. If the user selects a sports theme for the virtual locker,placeholder items automatically populate the virtual locker withpredetermined products related to the selected sports theme.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a displayed baseball-themed virtuallocker populated with images of baseball-related objects, whereinhologram icon images of objects have been generated and placed intoappropriate compartments. Alternatively, or in addition, two-dimensionaliconic representations may be used. The user of this virtual locker mayselect (e.g., click on) any of the displayed objects to receiveinformation for related products (e.g., via links to the 3^(rd) partyselling the product), which may also be stored in the virtual locker forthat category. Thus, clicking on an object may generate user options forother related objects, and the user can store these objects in thevirtual locker as well. For example, clicking on a bat will provide theuser with options of bats the user may desire to own, and the user canselect his/her favorite bat to save in the locker. Various bats andother related objects (e.g., batting gloves) may be shown that matchuser's profile (i.e., age, gender, etc.). As illustrated, thecompartments may include shelves for storing stackable objects,vertically elongated spaces with hanger bars to store hanger supportedobjects, spaces suitably sized for receiving footwear or other sportsequipment, etc.

FIG. 12 depicts a fully customized virtual locker, without a selectedtheme, with compartments containing placeholders. A placeholder mayundergo processing to be reshaped and/or resized into dimensionssuitable for the compartment in which it is to be placed. Placeholdersmay be replaced by selected objects that may undergo reshaping and/orresizing to be placed into the corresponding compartment. For example, abaseball glove and a thermos are shown in reduced size to fit into asmall locker compartment. In other words, objects may be reconfigured tobe displayed in compartments based on their dimensions, and may betransformed as needed. Long objects may be placed in tallercompartments, as illustrated by the baseball bat and golf club shown inFIG. 12 . This provides the user with choices in the layout of thelocker while keeping the locker attractive to the eye.

FIG. 13 is a screenshot demonstrating the procedure for population of aplaceholder item with a desired product. When selecting objects to storein a virtual locker, the user is shown objects from a plurality ofwebsites. Objects and corresponding details are received from 3^(rd)party APIs, for example. The present system uses the object informationcombined with an affiliate ID to create a click on link for that object.This link may be used by the user to purchase the object (e.g., “BuyNow”), or the object can be saved to the user's virtual locker. If savedto the locker, the object image and details are stored in the systemdatabase and the generated link is stored to provide later access to the3^(rd) party web site for item purchase by the user or a connected user(i.e., friend or family member of the user).

FIG. 14 is a screenshot 1500 showing a public view of a virtual lockerthat has been shared with other users. Once a user has accessed theapplication, the user may view the details of the objects saved in aconnected user's locker. The objects may also be provided as ascrollable item list 1520 of all objects saved in all connected users'virtual lockers. Hovering over an object in the list shows the object inthe virtual locker, preferably magnified, with the ability to navigatebetween objects. Clicking on an object accesses the associatedretailer's website (via an affiliate link) allowing the user to purchasethe object.

FIG. 14 also shows at least four different compartment zone shapes basedon corresponding aspect ratios of the placeholders. Some placeholdersmay fit into multiple compartments 1505(1)-1505(4) (e.g., sunglasses maybe placed in a rectangular landscape shape), while other placeholdersare placed in specific compartments suitable for the size and shape ofthe object (e.g., a tall compartment for a bat). This approach allowsthe user to customize the user's virtual locker while maintaining asuitably convenient layout. The dimensions of the compartments may beestablished by pre-defined aspect ratios, which may be determinedautomatically by the system or manually by the user. For example, when anew placeholder is added to the system, the aspect-ratio for theplaceholder may be provided manually by the user or determinedautomatically by the system.

What has been described to this point applies to a user who is aconsumer of products creating a locker or other display unit on thesystem. Described immediately below is functionality for sellers,merchants and retailers for creating virtual storefronts using thevirtual locker concept. These users are able to generate their ownvirtual storefronts to promote products for purchase by others who mayadd products their lockers. In this format, a seller may be the coach ofa team who has merchandise his players can purchase. This coach maycreate a locker with the items he/she sells, and the players on his/herteam can view the coach's locker and then either add those items totheir lockers for future purchasing or purchase them directly from thecoach's locker. FIG. 15 outlines this process.

Referring to FIG. 15 , a merchant user (a Coach, influencer,multi-level-marketer, or otherwise) creates a locker 1001 and populatesitems 1002 in his/her locker the same way a user would do so atoperation 104 in FIG. 2 . Once the locker is created it can be viewedpublicly and may be discovered in one of two ways; the merchant user mayshare the locker publicly via a public link 1003; or he/she may havefollowers within the system who will receive notifications that thelocker was created/updated, and they can discover the locker from theirown actions 1004. Once another user views the locker 1005, the otherusers may either see certain products they would like to own 1006 or maydesire to own all the items in the locker 1010, in which case they couldchoose to duplicate the entire locker and add it to their locker rooms1011. In the event only specific items appeal to the user 1006, theviewing users can choose to either add the items to their personallockers for purchase later 1008 or can click on the merchant locker andbe taken to an affiliate-linked URL to purchase the items directly 1009.

Merchant lockers 1000 are particularly advantageous in the case of asmaller-scale merchant with limited quantities or specific productsappealing to a limited demographic; that is, companies may have productcategories they would like to promote and may have enough products that,depending on the demographics of the end-user, they would like to showas different product results based on those demographics. For example,if a sporting goods store wanted to promote a locker with a t-shirt, itcould create a t-shirt placeholder in its locker (along with many otherplaceholder products). Then, if a user views the locker, the system willknow demographic information about the user and could show anage/gender/style-appropriate t-shirt. If the user is a youth maleathlete, the t-shirt that gets shown could be a specific SKU for youthmale athletes. If the user is a female coach, the t-shirt shown might bea totally different SKU. The consumer user may have the ability to addspecific items to his/her locker or duplicate the entire locker. Otherexamples: a sporting goods store promoting a fall football locker thathas youth jerseys, cleats, pads, and helmets for male youth athleteusers, and whistles, clipboards, sneakers, and hats for a coach; aclothing company may have a fall styles locker with outfit options forshoes, pants, shirts, sweaters, sunglasses, and hats for differentage/gender demographics.

In the case of a company locker, referring to FIG. 16 , the company 1101may create a locker by customizing lockers for each differentcombination of demographic information (e.g., male athlete under 10years old, female athlete between 10 and 16 years old, female coach over30 years old, etc.). The age and gender options may be customizable andoptional at operation 1102; e.g., if a company wanted all users underage sixteen to see the same products it could leave the genderspecification unanswered (as is typical in the case of electronicssales, i.e., gaming hardware). Once the demographic variables have beenset, the system may generate all possible permutations and prompt thecompany to create a locker for each combination 1103. For example, thesystem may show three age ranges for two genders which generates sixlockers for the company to create at 1104. Once the combinations arecomplete, the company can publish/share the locker publicly at operation1105, and then whatever user type is visiting the locker, the systemwould automatically show the demographic-customized locker for thatuser.

The visual presentation of a virtual locker conveys the concept of alocation in a public space where the contents “belong” to the user. Forthis reason, it is an effective place to start. However, the concepts ofthis application apply to other visuals. For example, a makeup bloggerwho has a product line to promote, it would not be consistent with herbrand if her products were shown in a locker environment. In certaininstances, the underlying system would still function the same, but theuser interface would convey a different display unit visual. In the caseof a makeup blogger products may be better displayed a virtual vanityfor which the background image would be different and placeholder x, y,z coordinates would change, while the rest of the functionality would bethe same. To accomplish this, these influencers, companies, andmerchants may have an admin tool for creating their own types ofvisually display units instead of lockers. As shown in FIG. 17 , avirtual vanity image may be the background at 1201, placeholder imagesmay be uploaded at 1202, and then a user interface may allow the creatorto click and drag zones where placeholders may be placed at 1203 (i.e.,hanging from a bar, in a drawer, set on top of a surface) to allow forthe container to be fully-customized. Once the container looks the waythe user intends, the template may be saved to for subsequent use at1204.

Furthering the customization offered by custom containers, the systemmay integrate multiple users' public lockers into a virtual mall. Thus,if a user “follows” a retailer, merchant, influencer, or just anotheruser, then any public lockers created by any of those users may be addedto a virtual mall. The virtual mall provides a virtual display unitwithin which a user is able to see all the items within their “mall”. Ifa user follows, for example, four friends, their coaches in two sports,and ten influencers and five retailers/companies, then all of theseentities may have storefronts within that user's virtual mall. Eachretailer may then have multiple containers within its store, similar toa display within a brick and mortar store. In effecting this, andreferring to FIG. 18 , retailers/merchants/influencers may have theability to customize their containers at 1301, displays at 1302, andstorefronts at 1303. As an example, a traditional department store maycustomize its container to show a mannequin, hangers, and shelves. A“display” allows it to configure multiple mannequins and shelves in aspecific arrangement. Importantly, the storefront may have their logowith a designed entrance. This creates a virtual environment thatprovides an immersive experience in two- or three-dimensionalpresentations. As a full virtual mall, a user interface at 1304 mayprovide the user the ability to move a viewpoint around in a virtualmall in two dimensions on a computer screen and allow the user with amouse/trackpad to pan and move around in a three-dimensional environmentat 1305. Using Virtual Reality or other immersive 3D simulators, a usermay easily scan the entire virtual mall. The virtual mall providesretailers with the ability to customize the products they would like topromote to users who are following their brand and allows users tofollow influencers and aggregate all the products in one virtual space.Thud, whereas a conventional “search” requires users to actively seekout results, this virtual mall concept provides a consolidated systemwherein retailers can pre-populate search results for users based onuser demographic and other information and give the user the ability toeasily scan or survey products (as if they were in a mall) that are veryrelevant to them. The experience for users is such that the entire mallseems to be built just for them at 1306.

Cash back/rewards may be offered to end users through revenue-sharingprograms facilitated automatically by the system. Affiliate links may beused where applicable, and an automatic revenue share of the affiliaterevenue may allow for a cash-back/reward program offered to theend-user. An item that isn't on sale anywhere else may be offered forregular price on the system, but an end-user may know that a certainpercentage is received as a cash-back reward for all purchases, sohe/she would be more likely to purchase on the system. Rewards could bestructured as credits towards future purchases, coupons offered byadvertisers on the system (e.g., receive $20 in cash back, or receive a30% off coupon to Retailer X). The ability to offer a 30% reductioncoupon may be a service that sold by Retailer X for a period of time(e.g., for $5 per user who accepts your reward, you can offer a 30% offcoupon). Part of the service could be a reimbursement of some sort(e.g., revenue share) in case a coupon is accepted as a reward by auser. In the case where a user had $20 in cash back from affiliaterevenue sharing, if the user chooses to receive a 30% off couponinstead, the system may provide $15 in revenue share back to Retailer Xsince the user forewent the $20 reward. In this case, the $5 “cost” foradvertising the coupon would be offset by $15 in revenue share andinstead convert to a $10 reimbursement for Retailer X. For example, ifan e-gaming hardware company wants to advertise on the site and offers a30% off reward coupon to users, a negotiation with Retailer X couldtranspire where Retailer X would agree to offer a 30% off coupon as areward for users. In such case, instead of the system providing the userwith $20 cash back, $10 may be paid by the system to the Retailer forevery user who accepts the coupon reward.

Disclosed herein is a themed virtual locker or other visually configuredtheme-relevant virtual display unit for a set of related objects, e.g.,gear for a sport, activity, interest, etc. Products and servicesassociated with that specific genre/theme may be presented to the user,and virtual objects such as holograms of potential products and servicescorresponding to that genre may be selected by the user and arranged inthe virtual container. Upon selection, the virtual objects providedimensional representations of the products and/or services available tothe user. The user may store the objects in the virtual container. Incertain aspects of the disclosed method and system the products may bepurchased and/or shared within a social media network. Techniquesdisclosed herein provide an improvement over existing approaches byproviding a single point of access, leading to efficiency. Additionally,the disclosed embodiments provide products to users based in part onpopularity of the product with other users having a virtual container ofthe same or similar theme.

Advantages of the disclosed techniques and embodiments include but arenot limited to reducing personal information provided to a third partyand the number of applications needed to access, save or share aproduct. Disclosed techniques additionally provide ease of sharing andpromoting products and may be customized to a user's interests.Sponsored newsfeeds comprising social media posts of products orservices may be saved in virtual lockers.

The disclosed embodiments include a method, system, device, and/or acomputer program at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program may include a computer readable storage medium (ormedia) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causingone or more processors to carry out aspects of the present disclosure.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

The computer readable storage medium may be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, any of electronic storage devices, magnetic storagedevices, optical storage devices, electromagnetic storage devices,semiconductor storage devices, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: portablecomputer diskettes, hard disks, random access memories, read-onlymemories, erasable programmable read-only memories, static random accessmemories, portable compact disc read-only memories, digital versatiledisks, memory sticks, floppy disks, mechanically encoded devices such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media, such as light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Aspects of the present disclosure are presented with reference toflowcharts and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), andcomputer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. Itwill be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/orblock diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computerreadable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devicesto function in a particular manner, such that the computer readablestorage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an articleof manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of thefunction/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustratethe architecture, functionality, and operation of possibleimplementations of systems, methods, and computer program productsaccording to various embodiments of the present techniques. In thisregard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent amodule, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or moreexecutable instructions for implementing the specified logicalfunction(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted inthe blocks may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example,two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry outcombinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Several features distinguish the present technology over otherapproaches. For example, present approaches may be integrated with asocial media platform, allowing objects to be loaded into relevantthemed virtual display units as holograms, dimensional images, or iconsfor the user and available for the user's authorized social connectionsto view. Additionally, a user may select any object corresponding to aproduct or service provided in a list in the display area to bedownloaded into a compartment of the virtual display unit. Selectedobjects may be transformed (e.g., resized, warped, reshaped, etc.) inorder to fit into a desired compartment. In some aspects, objects may beholograms corresponding to a particular product. Additionally, thesystem may use themes designated by users to target information, such asfrom advertising services or from other users that have selected thesame theme, to specific users.

Examples provided herein are not intended to be limiting; presenttechniques may be applied to a wide variety of fields, including retail,finance, or any environment in which related images are grouped togetherand arranged for display in a compartmentalized virtual display. Theexamples are also not intended to be limited to a specific application,since the disclosed techniques may be used to generate displays ofproducts or services in online environments, such as, for example, toshare virtual lockers with a group through a social media connection.

It will be appreciated that the present disclosure includes within itsscope the use of augmented reality to embellish the user's visual orauditory perception of the virtual locker or other virtual display unitwith additional digital content. For example, the additional digitalcontent may be text, images or sound superimposed over the virtualdisplay unit or virtual object, or both, and may comprise subject mattertailored to the user's profile and/or serving to explain or enhancefeatures or use of the display unit or object, or to provide context forthose features or use.

Access to virtual lockers and virtual locker rooms may be provided viaan account, a social media link or the like. Retail or other links maybe linked to the object, providing the user with access to a third partyretailer; or retail links may include links to retail providers orproducts from a user. In some cases, members of a group or organizationmay access a set of items for that group (e.g., sporting team items,etc.).

Virtual display units and thematically grouped virtual display units(such as locker rooms) may be used for any suitable genre, theme orinterest including a sport, hobby, occupation, activity (e.g., onlineshopping), etc. Contents of the virtual display unit may be displayed byusers of social media or by social media influencers to promote theirproducts in the virtual display unit.

In other cases, virtual lockers or virtual locker rooms may be providedto users based on a user's GPS location to direct users to nearby storescontaining items stored in the virtual locker room. In this regard, textnotifications or alerts may be provided to, for example, notify the userof sales or other events pertaining to objects in their virtual displayunits or locker rooms, and user's may elect to receive, or not, suchnotifications or alerts.

In still other cases, athletic teams may use virtual lockers to promoteand sell team products/apparel/game tickets. In some aspects, users mayactivate GPS location services and may be provided with the team's eventschedule/game announcements/flash sales/stadium directory/venue mapinformation or concessions, specifically food and beverage. Concessionsmay be purchased directly through applications and delivered to astadium seat.

A user may follow a mall/event/fair, turn on the location GPS, andreceive event or fair maps, announcements, posts, featured storeproducts, flash sales, etc. Businesses promoting products may createtheir own virtual booth locker on the social media site to share withevent customers. Users may follow that business and save its virtualbooth locker on their accounts for future purchase of productscorresponding to objects, or to share same with others. Users noton-site at a mall/event/fair can follow that mall/event/fair and canmake purchases via the virtual booth locker. Enabling notifications willallow customer to see sales for purchase and delivery.

Stores may promote products on-line using the virtual locker and/orvirtual locker room for the customer to select images to be arranged inthe virtual locker. Such items may be shared, stored, or purchased. Whena customer is at a store location, a GPS text alert may inform thecustomer of availability of connectivity to store. Notifications allowon-site customers to locate and inspect products, sale items, featuredproducts, products of possible customer interest, etc. Notifications tofollowers may also allow off-site on-line customers to purchase flashsale items.

Restaurants may use a virtual locker to promote their menus tofollowers. The virtual locker allows for menu item selection, purchases,saving, sharing, etc., for a customer. When arriving at the restaurant,a GPS notification alerts the user to restaurant on-line connectivity,allowing the restaurant to promote specials, happy hours, nightlyevents, sales, etc.

A functionality is provided for sellers, merchants and retailers tocreate virtual storefronts using the virtual container concept. Theseusers are able to generate their own virtual storefront to promoteproducts for purchase by others by adding them to their virtual displayunits. The virtual storefronts may be provided as part of a virtual mallcontaining multiple storefronts, and virtual malls may be created tocontain only stores displaying interests of a particular system user forpossible transfer of products to that user's virtual locker.

The present disclosure is not to be limited in scope by the specificembodiments described herein. Indeed, other embodiments of andmodifications to the present disclosure, in addition to those describedherein, will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from theforegoing description and accompanying drawings. Such other embodimentsand modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure. Furthermore, although the present disclosure is presented inthe context of particular implementations in a particular environmentfor a particular purpose, those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that its usefulness is not limited thereto and that thepresent disclosure may be beneficially implemented in any number ofenvironments for any number of purposes. Accordingly, the claims setforth below should be construed in view of the full breadth and spiritof the present disclosure as described herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method performed by a system comprising a system processor, a system database and multiple client systems of respective users in interactive communication with the system processor, said method comprising: establishing at each client system a respective graphical virtual display unit, wherein the virtual display unit represents a real container with a plurality of virtual compartments; displaying at each client system the container and the virtual compartments of the respective virtual display unit; and obtaining and displaying virtual objects in respective virtual compartments of each virtual display unit.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said virtual objects is a hologram.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: associating stored virtual objects in respective virtual compartments in a user's virtual display unit with information identifying a source from which those objects may be purchased for or by that user; identifying those stored objects which have been purchased by or for that user and moving them to a virtual compartment or separate display unit reserved for purchased objects.
 4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: for each virtual display unit, establishing a respective theme reflecting an interest of a user of the client system at which that virtual display unit is established; storing at said system database the themes of said users; for each client system, obtaining a list of objects that are filtered based on the theme of the virtual display unit at that client system; and enabling the user of each client system to select one or more objects from said list that are of interest to that user for display in selected compartments of said virtual display unit as said virtual objects.
 5. The method of claim 4 further comprising selectively enabling advertisements pertaining to a theme of a user to be displayed at the client system of that user.
 6. The method of claim 4, further comprising: associating a profile of the user of each client system with the virtual display unit of that client system; storing at said system database said profiles of said users; wherein the objects in said list of objects for each client system are further filtered based on the profile of the user of that client system.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: associating a profile of the user of each client system with the virtual display unit of that client system; storing at said system database the profiles of said users; for each client system, obtaining a list of objects that are filtered based on the profile of the user of that client system; and enabling the user of each client system to select one or more objects from said list that are of interest to that user for display in selected compartments of said virtual display unit as said virtual objects.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: selectively customizing the virtual display units by one or more of adding a name to identify the virtual display unit, adding a name to a virtual object stored at the virtual display unit, and adding custom colors to a background or virtual compartments of the virtual display unit.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of said users belong to an organization having an administrator and members, wherein the administrator establishes the virtual display units for said members according to a common theme associated with the organization and assigns the members as users to respective virtual display units.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein said theme established for a plurality of said virtual display units is a sport, and wherein the containers at said plurality of virtual display units are a respective plurality of virtual lockers with their virtual compartments differently sized and configured to accommodate and receive virtual objects pertaining to that sport.
 11. The method of claim 10 further comprising: for each of said virtual lockers, establishing said sport as a theme of the user of that virtual locker; storing said theme for said virtual lockers at said system database; for each of said virtual lockers, obtaining a list of objects pertaining to said sport; and enabling the user of each locker to select one or more objects from said list and display the selected objects in compartments of said virtual locker as said virtual objects.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a virtual locker room containing all of said plurality of said virtual lockers.
 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: enabling storing a plurality of said virtual objects in a single compartment of each of said virtual display units; and arranging the virtual objects stored in a single compartment so that at least a portion of each stored object is visible in the virtual display unit.
 14. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining if a virtual object to be stored does not fit within a selected virtual compartment and, if so, reconfiguring the virtual object into a shape and size that fits within the selected virtual compartment.
 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling selected third parties to have access to the virtual display units at client systems.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein a first compartment of a respective virtual display unit includes a placeholder indicating a category of products for selection and storage in the first compartment, and the method further comprises: selecting a virtual object representing a product within the category of the placeholder; and replacing the placeholder in the first compartment with the selected virtual object.
 17. A system comprising a system processor, a system database and multiple client systems of respective users in interactive communication with the system processor, wherein said system processor is configured to: establish at each client system a respective graphical virtual display unit, wherein the virtual display unit represents a real container with a plurality of virtual compartments; display at each client system the container and the virtual compartments of the respective virtual display unit; and obtain and display virtual objects in respective virtual compartments of each virtual display unit.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of said virtual objects is a hologram. 